KOTA KINABALU: A 40-year-old man drowned while rescuing his five-year-old son, who was trapped in a car that fell into a river near Kampung Imbahan in Putatan near here.

Search and rescue workers recovered the body of Lasibi Lawadihu along the river at 9am on Monday (March 27) after he jumped into the river to save his son from the car which rolled down to the river while he was fishing on the bank at 5.30pm on Sunday (March 26).

His body was spotted with the help of a police drone during a search and rescue operations. His body was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital here for post mortem.

Lasibi is said to have jumped into the river after the Perodua Myvi in which his son, Mushab Umair Lasibi, 5, was inside suddenly rolled and fell into the river.

Penampang district police chief Deputy Supt Mohd Haris Ibrahim told reporters at the scene that it was understood that before the incident, the victim was on the bank and was fishing with his son in a vehicle parked nearby with the engine running.

However, he said, the vehicle suddenly moved before falling into the river and the victim jumped to save his son.

"The victim is said to have managed to get his son out of the vehicle before being helped by a man who happened to be there fishing.

"The man took the child, the victim apparently disappeared under the water," he said.

The rescued child Musbah was sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (HQE) for further treatment on Sunday evening.

Search and rescue operations ended at 11pm on Sunday (Mar 26) and resumed at daybreak on Monday (March 27).